Ghosts of Kaon
by Mr. Chaos
Summary: 5 years after Dark of the Moon, the Autobots and humanity live in peace. But when Transformers from Optimus' past, before the war, arrive, the Autobots, Sam, Lennox and Epps will be forced to journey to the mysterious planet Kaon to face a new evil.


_My name is Optimus Prime, and today I find myself feeling something I have not felt in countless millennia._

_The war that consumed so much of my life is over. With the deaths of Megatron and Sentinel Prime, the Decepticons had truly been broken. Those few who remained after the final battle have been scattered across the stars, leaderless and void of direction. In one fell strike the Autobots have won the war at long last._

_But victory has come at a price…perhaps too steep._

_We have all lost so much._

_Cybertron is no more, destroyed by the collapse of the space bridge. Lost is not just our planet, but our history. The great library. The Hall of Heroes. The great works by those that came before…gone forever._

_Our race is nearly extinct, wiped out by countless battles. There are some that estimate only .04% of our population survived to see the end. Where once we numbed in millions, there now are only a few thousand. And even then, the final exodus from Cybertron has left us spread thin across the known galaxy…I wonder how many truly know that peace has been achieved._

_I find myself questioing if it was worth the battles, the loss of friends and family. The war cost me my brother and my mentor…two blows alone that should cripple me._

_If this war was to save Cybertron and our race…and both are now gone…can it truly be called a victory? Have we lost more in our success?_

_But even now, as my thoughts dwell upon such dark things, I look out upon our new home and realize that it was worth it._

_Earth._

_Its people have become my own._

_I remember when we first landed here, hoping to keep our presence a secret. Even after all these years, I find I am still naive. How could we ever hope to remain hidden? We have revealed ourselves to the humans and worked with them to form a new pact of friendship and brotherhood. The journey has been wrought with setbacks caused by both sides, but after the final battle a shared passion to fix the mistakes of old brought about a new understanding._

_It has been five years since the fall of Cybertron, and those years have seen the Autobots and humanity join together. We are now both the guardians of Earth, working together to protect this planet and help it achieve its potential. And as I watch each new Autobot arrive, I know that all of this was worth it._

_My name is Optimus Prime, and I feel something I thought I never would._

_Hope._

* * *

><p>(New York City)<p>

"-told the Pope sorry, but he could not have his hat back. In Sports, the Yankees lost to the Tigers 4 to 3."

Sam Witwicky's radio alarm clock was always set for 8:00 am, tuned into the local soft rock station. It would click on like clockwork each morning, spewing out news and music in an attempt to wake Sam up.

It was in vain, though, as Sam always woke up a half hour early.

Already showered, Sam padded into the bedroom and shut the radio off, resetting it for the next morning, all the while smiling to himself. Here he was, the kid that always slept through his alarm and had to be shaken awake by his mother in order not to be late for school, waking up earlier than needed.  
>Of course, back then he hadn't had anything worth wild to wake up to. He hadn't been a geek or a jock or the class clown…he'd just been Sam, the kid that never really fit into any clique.<p>

Looking himself over in the mirror, Sam couldn't help but let his grin grow just a touch bigger. Of course he hadn't fit in with any of those groups: none of them had contained robotic aliens from a distant planet.

"You're in a good mood today!" Carly said as Sam entered the kitchen, not looking up from her computer. Her hand searched out for her toast, Sam pushing it closer to her greedy fingers before walking over to the fridge and grabbing the milk for his cereal. "You know, you really need to eat healthier. That stuff has more sugar than cotton candy."

"That's what makes it so good!" Sam retorted, pouring himself a heaping helping of 'Sugar Blasted Sugar Snacks'. "Come on, you know I'm not my lovable self if I don't get my 4 daily cups of sugar."

"No more than that," Carly teased, "or you'll end up more cranked up than Brains."

"Whoa, someone say my name?" The brain-unit drone emerged from the bathroom, Sam deciding to not ask what he was doing in there.

"Yeah, I think Carly was insultin' ya," Wheelie said from the couch, watching old episodes of 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air'.

"Said with love," Carly replied. Over the last five years she'd warmed up to the little bots, especially after thinking them dead after their courageous actions during the Battle of Chicago.

"We love ya too Carly!" Brains said, plopping down next to Wheelie and promptly ignoring the two humans as he became engrossed in the antics of Jazzy Jeff. "Don't he remind ya of someone?"

"Maybe two someones…" Wheelie muttered.

"What are your plans for today?" Sam asked between bites of his cereal.

Carly smiled, shutting her laptop. After Sam had…killed her boss…Carly had found a new job, working as a freelance communications director for several companies. It allowed her to work from home, and thus keep an eye on the dog and the two little Autobots. "Not much. Monique's new line of cosmetics has been pushed back so I should have a full week of doing nothing but lounging around the house."

Sam groaned in protest. "Of course. The one week you get off and I am leaving for five days!"

Carly shrugged. "That is too bad. I guess I'll just have to spend time with my number one guy."

Sam chuckled. "That so?"

"Oh yes…I think me and him are going to hang out, have a rather expensive dinner together…maybe take a bath…"

Sam slide out of his chair and approached Carly, shaking his head. "You are cruel, you know that?" he fell to his knees, pushing her chair out…

…and giving her very pregnant belly a kiss.

"Both of you."

Carly giggled before wincing. "I think he heard you."

"And you are so sure he's a he?" Sam asked, placing a hand on her tummy and feeling his child kick.

"A mother knows, Sam."

Sam drew himself up and wrapped his arms around his wife. "Well then, far be it from me to argue."

Wheelie made a sound of disgust as Sam kissed Carly. "Get a room, why dontcha?"

"Last time they did, they made the little sparkling!" Brains complained.

A car horn interrupted any more comments the two might have had.

"Your ride is here," Carly said, pressing her forehead against his.

Sam nodded. "Think he can wait 5 minutes?"

"No," Wheelie said.

"No one asked you, ya walking toaster."

Carly gave Sam one more kiss before shooing him to the door. "Hurry up…the sooner you leave the sooner me and Daniel can get some alone time."

Sam grabbed his suitcase, blowing Carly one final kiss goodbye before hurrying down the stairs. "I know you want to get to work, buddy, but you couldn't give me a few more seconds?"

_"You'll have plenty of time to make out with your girl later, Sam,"_ Bumblebee answered, making sure his friend was secure before taking off.


End file.
